Ferguson, New York, New Orleans and the Presumption of Guilt

As a long time civil rights attorney and public defender, I feel I am predisposed to root for the underdog – the one facing the heavy weight of the state (police, prosecution, courts and incarceration) with only a defense attorney […]

NAPD Statement on Michael Brown and Eric Garner

This is NAPD's statement on the recent events in Ferguson, Staten Island and Cleveland, submitted with the full support of the NAPD Steering Committee. The recent deaths of African American males in Ferguson, New York City and Cleveland at the […]

NAPD Supports #ThisStopsToday

NAPD just joined over 100  other community and national advocacy organizations signing on to 11 demands of the coalition, #ThisStopsToday.  As they explain on their website, “#ThisStopsToday convened to respond to the Staten Island grand jury's expected failure to indict officers […]

Need a Lawyer? Sell Everything – Talk Poverty

Our Founding Fathers were insistent that next to life itself, nothing is more valuable than liberty.  In Gideon v. Wainwright, the Supreme Court made clear that a lawyer is essential to ensure justice is done and liberty is protected.  The Court said […]

The Past isn’t Past

This Thanksgiving, talk of Ferguson dominated the conversation. I was surprised but pleased by the fact that our work – justice work – had found some staying power over many days that were full of the distractions of far-apart family […]

Ferguson and Staten Island: In Case Anyone Doubted the Public Needs Defending…

It may seem surprising, but as I have followed the public conversation in the wake of Ferguson and Staten Island, I am actually encouraged.  The distressing events have sparked an important national dialogue; one that would never had occurred if Officers […]

Ferguson is a Fleeting Opportunity to Change

The nation is deeply contemplating the serious problems in Ferguson, and ostensibly trying to identify the appropriate responses.   There is a simple, pro-business, pro-community strategy for Ferguson that would enable government and community leaders to pivot from damage control to community […]

Haunting Melody

Tears well in my eyes as Strange Fruit's melody rings through my soul. Men hanging from trees, I dreamed, were old stories told; Stories from a past that we would never relive or witness again. But now I realize standing […]

Broadening National Bipartisan Conversation

Broadening national bipartisan conversation on our responsibility to reduce incarceration. A remarkable shift is taking place in our country. Liberals and conservatives disagree on so many issues yet increasingly there is common ground amongst political forces on the need to reduce […]

Retraction – Not Drooling

In a blog post dated May 5, 2014, I referred to the criminal justice system as a "voracious, drooling monster." This was an error. The word "drooling" connotes a sense of innocent passivity, like a drooling baby, or someone napping with their […]